bayedsolid Chapter 290 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (1)
Chapter 290 Obedient and Clingy Younger Brother (1)
"What? Say it again?" Lu Liruan tilted her head and asked incredulously.
"Congratulations, host, you have been assigned a cheat code by the system—Peak of Knowledge." The system repeated itself verbatim.
Lu Liruan: ...
Will I ever become a top student?
"May I ask, is the cheat system that you receive determined by the world in which I will be completing the mission?"
Lu Liruan didn't know if the system would answer her question, or if she had the authority to know.
"Yes, it is related to the world where the host is about to complete the mission."
The system responded quickly, giving an affirmative answer.
Although Lu Liruan only had the cheat code from the previous world, she could still vaguely sense it by combining it with the system.
Just like in the previous world, his "medical skills" were a cheat code that was assigned to him based on the needs of that world.
So... what will be the pinnacle of knowledge this time?
Lu Liruan thought to herself, "Could it be that my little world is about to turn around and become a pillar of society?"
I've never done this before, so I'm a little at a loss.
"What exactly is this 'Peak of Knowledge' about?" Lu Liruan pressed her advantage.
"Regarding the use of cheat codes, please explore on your own. The system rules state that cheat code skills cannot be used to do anything that affects the basic direction of the mission world. Please make your own judgment."
This Lu Liruan understands, just like the "medical skill" cheat code from the last world. It can't directly change the life or death of the characters involved, otherwise there would be a huge bug.
I don't know what field represents the pinnacle of knowledge—literature, science and engineering, or something else...
Lu Liruan decided to wait until she entered the mission to see what field this cheat was in, so as to avoid wasting it later!
Seeing that Lu Liruan had no further questions, the system continued, "Host, you have one more chance to draw the cheat code for this mission world. Would you like to use it now?"
"Can we also use the system to assign it?" Lu Liruan had a sudden thought. Since the system-assigned cheat codes are related to the mission time, could she not extract them herself and have them assigned directly?
The system paused for a moment.
Then he continued, "It can be done via the system default. Does the host confirm that this is the system default cheat?"
Lu Liruan thought that since she didn't know what she would get by drawing the first one, she might as well try the default one.
"confirm."
"Locking the default options for you... Please wait."
"The default options have been locked for you."
The system beeped.
"Congratulations, your default cheat option is: Cooking."
Lu Liruan was taken aback. How come this was completely unrelated to the previous cheat system?
The previous one was the pinnacle of knowledge, the next one is culinary skills. If both are related to the mission world, then... what exactly am I doing?
"Ah... does this have anything to do with the mission time?"
"Please explore on your own, host."
"The mission world is about to open. Please prepare in advance."
Lu Liruan checked the time and realized that her three-day break was almost over.
Actually, there wasn't much to prepare. Lu Liruan had been living a very comfortable life these past few days and now felt that she was in good shape and ready to leave at any time.
"Please prepare, host—please prepare, host—" Lu Liruan felt the system's voice in her ears becoming increasingly indistinct.
Mechanical and indifferent.
"Three, two, one."
"Om-"
Lu Liruan felt everything go black before her eyes, and then she lost consciousness.
When she opened her eyes again, she saw the warm-colored light on the ceiling. She blinked, stretched her arms and legs, and found herself lying on a soft bed.
Beneath her were pink and white checkered sheets, and an avocado green duvet cover. Her phone beeped, and Lu Liruan picked it up and glanced at it: 19:43.
The phone wallpaper and phone case are both light yellow, giving them a very fresh and vibrant look.
Before Lu Liruan could think of anything else, she already had a feeling that the identity the system had given her this time was a very cute, energetic, and life-loving girl.
Lu Liruan asked the system if she had replaced the original person in the small world when she entered it. If so, Lu Liruan would feel guilty.
The system replied that this was not the case. Rather, when Lu Liruan entered the small world, she was already the character identity constructed within that small world. Her identity was herself, not that she was replacing someone else.
Therefore, Lu Liruan's identity is never something that directly affects the life or death of the male supporting character, such as the male or female lead...
Each of her identities bears some resemblance to Lu Liruan herself. For example, in the first world, she is a person who dares to love and hate, and even though she knows she will be ridiculed, she still chooses to participate in the show. Despite being neglected and pressured by her manager from beginning to end, she refuses to be manipulated by them in a despicable way...
In the second world, there are family members who love you and will always stand by your side...
When Lu Liruan first saw the room, she felt a strange sense of familiarity, as if it were all made according to her wishes, as if she had designed it herself.
Lu Liruan turned over, closed her eyes again, and lay quietly.
Sure enough, after a while, the background story of this world appeared in my mind...
The apartment I'm currently in is in an old building that's already sixty or seventy years old. This old neighborhood has three buildings, each six stories high. The front building faces the road and an overpass. Although there are soundproofing panels on the side of the overpass, it's still very noisy day and night.
The two buildings behind are slightly better, but because they are too old and no one manages them, they look dilapidated. On the first floor, there is a small shed where an old lady raises flowers, making the already narrow, moss-covered passageway often wet.
Sometimes when I pass by, I can smell the stench of fertilizer water, especially in summer, when it is mixed with the stuffy humidity and heat, which is even more annoying and uncomfortable.
There aren't many people living here. Those who could move elsewhere have moved away. Most of the remaining residents are elderly people, and some are rented out. Most of them are couples who have come to the big city to work, and some even have children with them. This makes it even noisier at night.
But Lu Liruan didn't dislike this place, because it was where she grew up. She lived here until junior high school. The small courtyard with only two flower beds and the boiler room with large machinery on the side were all childhood memories.
This house was allocated by my maternal grandfather's work unit when he was young. When Lu Liruan was little, her parents were busy with work, so they sent her here to be looked after by her maternal grandparents.
The maternal grandparents adored their youngest granddaughter, treating her like a precious gem, almost to the point of giving her everything she wanted.
Even when recalling those hazy memories, Lu Liruan felt incredibly happy. She could hear the cicadas chirping, smell the aroma of food, and vividly remember her friends calling her to come downstairs to play.
After I finished elementary school, my parents took me to another city. My maternal grandparents were also taken by my uncle to live in the newly bought big house, and this old house was left empty. In the early years, it could be rented out, but as the house got older and the living environment did not improve, the rent became cheaper and cheaper. Later, it only cost 600 yuan a month.
My grandparents still have an attachment to this old house. They've lived there for most of their lives and don't want it to be ruined, so they've decided not to rent it out and just leave it there.
Lu Liruan's parents settled in another city. Her maternal grandparents passed away when she was 22 and 23 years old, respectively. Before they died, they transferred the ownership of this old house to Lu Liruan.
"Ruan Ruan lived in this old house the longest... Let's keep it for her." Grandpa instructed on his deathbed.
The family members were all kind and reasonable, and each family was doing well. The elderly were willing, and no one argued with Lu Liruan over the old house, so the house was smoothly transferred to Lu Liruan's name.
This old house is in a decent location, but it's not exactly in a good one either. A lot of houses around here have been demolished in recent years, but nothing has happened here. Compared to the high-rise buildings not far away, it seems like it's not even in the same area.
There have been countless rumors about this area being relocated. Lu Liruan has heard them since she was a child, and her ears are practically calloused from hearing them, but nothing has actually happened.
Lu Liruan studied at a university in another city, and after working for a year, she resigned and returned home to take over her parents' business here.
It was called a business, but it was just that the parents opened small shops near several schools. Although they were small, the business was still very good because they were located in such a place as schools.
Each small shop has hired someone to look after it. The parents are just looking for an excuse to get their daughter to come back home because they see that she is working too hard outside.
Lu Liruan thought about it and realized that she was indeed not used to commuting to work in the morning and evening, working overtime often, having meetings every day, and having backstabbing among colleagues in the office.
With a monthly salary of four thousand, the temple was small but the winds of evil were strong. Lu Liruan packed up and decisively went home.
But going back to rent a place wasn't worth it, so she used her savings to renovate the old house left to her by her grandparents. It wasn't a complicated renovation; she just did some basic renovations, bought the furniture she liked, and moved in once she was happy with the arrangement.
Anyway, relocation and such... seem like a long way off.
Looking back on her memories, Lu Liruan felt that her life had been very comfortable. Not only was there no pressure in her life, but she also didn't have any great ambitions.
She majored in directing in college. Her academic performance in high school was very average, but she was very good at Chinese. She had a good command of language and had even written a novella that was serialized in a magazine. So, after discussing it with her family, they decided to apply to the directing department.
It's not a very good school, but it's still a first-tier university.
When Lu Liruan was in college, she knew that she wouldn't achieve much in this field. Those who could go far in this field, besides having exceptional talent, mostly needed the support of money and connections. She was just someone who was just getting by.
Fortunately, during her junior year of college, she started her own social media channel, using text and short videos. Since the new media industry was still relatively new at the time, Lu Liruan's account accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers, and she is now making a living from it.
So there's nothing to regret about resigning.
Having read this far, Lu Liruan still hadn't seen any information related to the male supporting character she needed to save, and couldn't help but gasp: Just how little interaction did she have with the male supporting character this time?
Could it be that we won't even see it? That would be really too much.
It wasn't until she read on to see the original plot that Lu Liruan learned about the male supporting character.
As she watched, Lu Liruan was a little stunned. At this time, the male supporting character, a boy named Jin Shuhe, was still in his second year of high school.
His background was worlds apart from hers.
Lu Liruan pursed her lips, feeling a little sad. Her phone had just received a message from her mother, asking if she had eaten on time today. She also sent a photo of her and her father eating barbecue outside, deliberately trying to tempt her. Her words were full of family affection.
But Jin Shuhe lost his mother when he was eight years old.
If it were a common cause, such as death from illness or an accident, it wouldn't have been so heartbreaking for Lu Liruan. The reason for her mother's death was a home invasion murder.
The case occurred nine years ago in a peri-urban area where public security was chaotic and the population was extremely mobile. Even the local public security bureau found it a very difficult task to count the floating population.
Thus, in the low-lying bungalows where countless people lived, the temporary shacks built with steel plates concealed not only sewage and garbage, but also escaped and hidden criminals, making it once the place with the highest crime rate.
Nearly ten years ago, the coverage of Skynet surveillance was not complete, which made criminals even more rampant. Pucheng's public security system truly experienced a dark period.
At that time, young Jin Shuhe lived with his parents in a four-story self-built house on the outskirts of the city. The house had been illegally divided into cramped rooms, with a shared kitchen, bathroom, and toilet.
Lu Liruan saw a passage in the original plot where Jin Shuhe narrated his own words:
The room was like a sauna in the summer and freezing cold in the winter. Pucheng had typical northern weather, with almost no spring or autumn and long, unbearable winters, which caused the residents a lot of suffering...
Stepping out of the room, the corridor floor felt sticky with every step, and the "slap slap" sound made one reluctant to look down and see just how dirty it was.
The public toilets were filled with the choking smell of smoke, making it hard to open one's eyes. Outside the windows, illegal electrical wires were tangled together in a mess. Often, the dead bodies of birds that had been electrocuted would fall to the ground and be picked up and played with by snotty-nosed children, or thrown at little girls passing by, causing them to scream in fright.
The room was a little better because Mom had cleaned the floor very well and folded the bed neatly. The mosquito net that used to get through the hole had been taped up by Mom. There were also two beautiful pots of roses on the stone windowsill, one pink and one white.
Dad went off to work with some construction team, or... I don't know what he did there. Only Mom and he were at home.
He was doing his homework at the table, and his mother was gently fanning him with a fan. Gradually, the sweat on his forehead dried.
These noisy yet peaceful days were shattered when a front-page news story appeared in the newspaper: "The home-breaking murderer in Pucheng has committed three consecutive crimes. Citizens are advised to pay attention to their personal safety."
At the time, neither Jin Shuhe nor her mother knew about this news, nor had they seen this newspaper...